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Wooden
Pens
Pens constructed from
wood, like any fine timber product, must be properly cared for.
Do not expose to
extremes of temperature or moisture. The interior of a car can
quickly become so hot that damage to a pen is inevitable.
The
finish used on your pen is very hardwearing but will benefit from the
application of a light wax designed for wood to restore its shine if
necessary. Do not use any abrasive cleaners or solvents that may
damage the finish.
To replace refills
unscrew the assembly carefully and replace with the specified replacement
part as identified on the "story card" that was provided with your pen.
Try to avoid dropping
your pen by, wherever practicable, using pen trays or stands on your desk.
This is particularly important with pens that have a separate cap that is
not designed to be "posted", or where the user prefers not to post the
pen.
If your pen has a
removable cap, carefully align the threads when replacing to avoid cross
threading the pen.
Resin Pen Care
The resins used in our
pens are man made products and more tolerant to extremes of heat and cold
than timber. However, as discussed above, take all practical
measures to ensure the pen is not dropped. Resins are more brittle
and are more likely to crack or chip if dropped.
Use a good quality
plastic polish to revive the shine if required. A quality
rubbing compound can also be used to buff out light scratches.
Fountain Pens
“My two fingers on a
typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen
does.
A fountain pen, of
course. Ballpoint pens are only good for filling out forms on a
plane.”
Graham Greene (British
Author)
Ink
Use only especially
formulated fountain pen ink in a fountain pen. Other inks and
fluids, eg. 'India Ink' will damage a fountain pen as these fluids contain
finely ground pigments that are still in the solid state.
These fluids can cause blockages that may prove very hard to clear and/or
contain solvents which damage the delicate feeder mechanism of the pen.
There are two basic
ways of supplying ink to the nib of your fountain pen, ie. a Cartridge or
a Converter.
Cartridges
A cartridge is a
usually plastic disposable container of ink designed to push on to the
rear of the nib and feed assembly. Pushing the cartridge onto the
nipple in the back of the nib and feed assembly punctures the cartridge.
It will be necessary to
prime the pen by gently squeezing the cartridge until ink reaches the nib.
You can then clean any excess ink from the nib using a tissue and begin
using the pen.
Cartridges are a
convenient form of ink supply and most major manufacturers of quality
fountain pen ink offer their products in this format.
Converters
Converter Pumps have
the same designed end as a cartridge to facilitate connection to the nib
and feed assembly. Your pen will have the converter fitted at the
time of purchase. Be aware that it is a simple push on/pull off
connection.
One type of converter
has a screw type piston filling system. To fill this type, the
piston is screwed all the way down and the nib dipped into ink, the screw
is then slowly turned back causing ink to be drawn into the converter.
Repeat this action as necessary to completely fill the converter.
Clean the nib with a
tissue and the pen is ready for use.
It is perfectly
acceptable to remove the converter from the nib and feed assembly and dip
the converter into the ink bottle to fill it. This in fact is my
preferred method. However, because the nib has not been dipped, you
will have to prime the pen by screwing down the piston to push the first
flow of ink down to the nib.
Another type, known as
a vacuum converter, consists of a bladder in a metal housing. The
bladder is visible though an opening in the wall of the converter which
enables the bladder to be compressed with a finger, and then released once
the converter, or nib if still attached, is dipped into the ink bottle.
The vacuum created draws ink into the bladder.
General
Expect that the more
you use your pen, the better it will feel and operate. A fountain
pen nib gradually becomes attuned to your style of writing and the way you
hold it. Using someone else's fountain pen will never provide the
satisfaction that comes from the use of one's own "tuned" fountain pen.
You do not need to
press the nib firmly to paper. Ink flows by capillary action and
should only need to be in light contact with the paper. Pressing
firmly on the nib is more likely to damage the instrument that generate a
flow of ink.
If the pen will not write or skips, you may have dried ink on the nib.
This is commonly caused by not using the pen for several days. The
remedy is to run a small stream of warm water over the tip of the nib for
a second or two and this should fix the problem. Do not use hot
water.
If the pen has not been
used for an extended period of time, you may have to use a stronger stream
of water and for a longer period. It is also possible that you
may have to remove the ink container and flush the ink out of the nib
entirely and re-prime the pen.
The quality of the
paper being used is also important. Poor quality paper will tend to
cause fibres to collect on the nib causing the ink to bleed.
When not in use the
best way to store a fountain pen is in the horizontal position.
Obviously too, it can be carried nib upright in a shirt or jacket
pocket without affecting the performance.
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